


Colors

by gayandreadytopartay



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, Child Neglect, Depression, Emotional Hurt, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Past Abuse, References to Depression, Team as Family, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:34:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24071485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayandreadytopartay/pseuds/gayandreadytopartay
Summary: Colors. They can mean a lot of positive things. Red for passion, White for purity, Black for strength, and Yellow for optimism.They can also be negative. Red for aggression, White for cold, Black for death, and Yellow for irrationality.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee & Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 11
Kudos: 33





	1. Red

Red. The color is bright and is one of the first colors that people think of when asked what love is. Passion, warmth, energy, excitement. Many positive things come from the color red, but many negative things do as well. Anger, defiance, aggression.

If you were to ask Ruby Rose what color she would pick, it would be red. And why wouldn't it be? She wears her red cloak, has red on all articles of clothes, and her scythe, Crescent Rose, is red.

But, while many people describe her as this fun and energetic person, it is mostly a front. A mask to hide the broken girl underneath – a girl who lost her mom, who's dad gave up, has a sister who nearly sacrificed her future to care for her until she died.

She focuses on the parts of herself that could use some tweaking so she can be better. Bot that it would help any. God, can she do _anything_ right?

No, she's been doing a lot better at Beacon ever since she's made her first friends! Her team, Team JNPR… Weiss. _Idiot. They can't like the way you don't pay attention in class._ And everything will be a-okay!

But, is it true? Was Weiss right? Is _Professor Ozpin_ lying? What if she's not cut out to be the leader of Team RWBY? She'll fail in the end, with her struggling to keep that mask up while battling the constant urge to steer clear of anybody. Most of the time she wants to be left alone, but her dreams keep her awake.

So she starts to not sleep. Instead watches over her teammates, goes onto the roof ( _If you had no aura, would you jump?_ ), even worms her way to the library to talk to the librarian.

Weiss doesn't think her to be intelligent, and she's absolutely right. She struggles to maintain a solid A, and, in Weiss' standards, that's going to make Professor Ozpin kick her out. Maybe she should take a break for a while. A nice long nap wouldn't hurt anyone.

Ruby nearly bolts out of her skin when her ears hear the loud bell that signals the end of class. She stands and wipes the corners of her eyes, yawning. She ignores Weiss' snappish attitude and Yang's jokes, but she freezes when she hears Professor Goodwitch call her down onto the floor.

"Ms. Rose, I'd like to speak with you for a moment,"

Ruby sighs as she splits up from her team to talk with Goodwitch. She pulls slightly on the school uniform's skirt while she stands in front of the giant of a woman.

"Is… something wrong?"

Goodwitch eyes Ruby up and down, and it makes the teenager feel somewhat exposed. Instead of bringing to life her frustrations about the blonde's staring, Ruby plasters on her well-practiced fake smile.

Eyeing Ruby for a few more moments, the teacher clasps her hands behind her back. "Ms. Rose, you haven't been volunteering lately in class. You've kept up so well in your studies, but it seems as if you don't want to participate all of a sudden," Goodwitch tilts her head slightly with her eyes narrowed. "Would you like to enlighten me as to why I've gotten complaints from your teachers about you sleeping in class?"

Ruby's mask drops, her smile completely wiped off of her face. "I've just been tired,"

"A tired person wouldn't go to the roof and stand at the edge like they don't care," Goodwitch's eyes soften somewhat as she speaks to the youngest girl in the school. "Ms. Rose, you don't have to tell me, but I am here to talk whenever you would like. Your teammates, too, can help you through whatever you're going through."

Something in Ruby disconnects. Like a necessary plug to keep the unhealthy thoughts away.

"Professor Goodwitch, what I'm going through is _personal_ and it's about my mother," It's not… _technically_ false. She's been having those same dreams where she can't sleep, so she does something else, but the root of her problems are the hardest to talk about and something she denies.

Ruby knows that Goodwitch knows that she's hiding something, for it's obvious in the way her brows twitch together slightly. The way her stoic face shifts to a small frown. But, like most people when they ask about Ruby, she lets it slide.

Goodwitch nods. "Very well, then. If you ever need something –"

But Ruby is already halfway to the doors to go to her last class. "Trust me, I won't,"

With that, the door closes.

———


	2. White

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters in RWBY. I don't even own RWBY.

White. A lot of people take a liking to this color because it has all that they want to be. Purity, innocence, hope. But, what they don't know (or choose not to acknowledge) is the downside to liking white: Coldness, unfriendliness, distant.

Weiss doesn't _mean_ to be this way. She had a perfectly normal childhood for any child in Atlas, and nothing is wrong with that. That is, if you look at it from Atlas' standpoint. From the other kingdoms, Atlas has a lot of issues that they don't want to acknowledge. Mantle is one of them.

Atlas is a very… _pristine_ place, and you can usually tell who's from Atlas based on the clothes they wear (which is usually white). The people there are cold, unforgiving in some cases, and they don't seem to grasp the concept of children too well.

Jacques Schnee, a man who married into the SDC through Willow Schnee. He's a great man who stands up for what he believes in… Is what Atlesians and anti-Faunus people would say about him. If you asked anyone else, they'd criticize him for being too harsh with the Faunus miners.

They just don't know about his lack of healthy parenting skills.

Weiss never understood why her father would put so much pressure on her shoulders when her sister left for the military instead of inheriting the business. She never grasped the concept of her mother slowly drinking herself away in wine after that argument that divided the family. Not until she was older, at least.

They say ignorance is bliss. That you should stay as far away from things that'll tarnish that one sliver of good inside of you. Weiss disagrees. It's a waste of time – just get it over with and pull the trigger.

She had to understand, to _learn_ from her drunken mother that her dad never really loved them. From then on, being the heiress to the company hung on her shoulders as weights, dragging her down with that one thought:

Is it worth it?

Weiss tried and tried to break through to her father, only to get shot down time after time again with harsh remarks. So she built a wall around herself subconsciously. _If she must become the heiress fully, she has to learn to be as cruel of a man as her father is._ And… it worked.

People knew her name, respected her, _loved_ her for being her father. She knew that the mask had stayed up for too long, but it's been there for so long that she doesn't know what else to believe anymore.

Until she heard about Beacon Academy.

Weiss finally got her own view on fighting, even though she's been training with Myrtenaster for years. She could do some good _besides_ inheriting the SDC.

After her fight with the Arma Gigas Grimm, her father shunned her for the imperfection on her face. The scar.

Her self-worth hits rock bottom. She tried to find ways to hide it before the mere thought made her sick. Her father yelled at her the night she left for Beacon, after her performance on stage.

"You will never be as good as your ancestors. You won't _ever_ be good enough for Beacon," Her father sneered down at her that night.

Something in Weiss snapped like a twig. "You're the same as me, father! If _I_ am nothing, _you_ are nothing," She spat at him. She can't trust him ever again. He's hurt her too much.

Her father looked down at her with disappointment in his eyes. "I wonder what your mother would say about your rebellious nature,"

"Mother… She _drinks_ herself to death. You and her, just… heh," Weiss shakes her head. She glared at her father with cold eyes, soul empty. "You two were _never_ good parents."

Her father only chuckled. "Perhaps. But your brother was always better than you, Weiss. Your sister as well," He began to walk away. "If you had tried harder, I would've given you all my spare time."

Klein is barely able to stumble back when her father barreled past the butler. His eyes lock onto Weiss, changing color.

Never get attached. Show you have a bite worse than your bark. Keep people out. That was the plan. Until Ruby, Blake, and Yang, slowly drug her out of the hole she dug herself and her father helped fill.

"Whoo! Class is over!" Yang's loud voice startles Weiss from her headspace, and she glances down at Professor Goodwitch on the floor.

"Did you even pay attention, Yang?" Weiss scoffs at the blonde.

Yang laughs. "Of course I did, Ice Queen! It wouldn't be very _Weiss_ of me if I didn't," She held out her hand, which Blake lazily smacks. "Heyo!"

"Oh, ha ha, laugh it up!" Weiss snaps.

"Ms. Rose, I'd like to speak with you for a moment,"

Weiss wants to stay behind to see what Professor Goodwitch would say to Ruby, but she _also_ knows that detention doesn't sound very fun.

So she leaves with the rest of the team to their dorm.

———


	3. Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters in RWBY. I don't even own RWBY.

Black. It's also known as the absence of light. The color represents a whole lot of things that people identify as positively. Sophistication, power, mystery. Then there's the whole other side that's never talked about. Oppression, depression, morbid.

Blake likes the color because it works best with her personality – dark. It never used to be like that, however, because she was a very outgoing and bright Faunus in Menagerie. She loved to play with the other Faunus and make new friends and laugh. And she was _happy_ there.

Then she met Adam Taurus.

Adam was a sweet teenager when she was about ten years old. She had met him at a peaceful White Fang protest somewhere in Anima. He gave her a big toothy smile and lifted her onto his shoulders, and Blake instantly liked him. He was sweet and not much older than Blake herself, only three years.

Another problem arose two years later: Ghira Belladonna, Blake's dad, had stepped down to reclaim being Chief of Menagerie and be at home with his family. Kali, Blake's mom, was ecstatic. Blake… not so much.

If her parents left the White Fang, why did that automatically include her? She wants to stay so she can be with all of the friends she made in the White Fang. Adam, Ilia, Rohan… It just wasn't _fair_!

Blake Belladonna, only twelve at the time, screamed and argued so loud with her parents that the few Faunus at the docs heard. She spat unforgivable things, took her pre-packed bag, and left Menagerie.

Adam took care of her. He always considered her feelings and protected her from when Sienna Khan yelled at the younger Faunus. Blake never even began to question when Adam's hand slowly got tighter and tighter around her shoulder while they walked throughout the campsite.

Ilia was always so happy when Blake came to her tent. They got to chat and tell each other stories. Ilia never talks about her past, but whenever an older White Fang member mentions the Schnees or the mining incident, Ilia turns scarlet red.

But, for some reason, Adam didn't like Ilia and how she always spent time with her and not him. Ever so desperate to gain back his affection, Blake slowly drifts away from Ilia ( _Why had she never noticed the Faunus' stare of love and jealousy?_ ).

Blake was fifteen and Adam was eighteen when they decided to try sex together. It wasn't… the _best_ feeling Blake's ever felt, but she never told Adam. He's been so stressed and snappish now that he was climbing the ranks.

But, even though Adam should be pleased, he's not. At least, not with Blake. The way his hand tightens on her hip when they pass other Faunus trying to take a look at the growing female Faunus.

It's somehow always _her_ fault she looked like this. Blake doesn't want to make Adam mad because the stinging words he says hurt.

 _You shouldn't talk so much! It'll make everyone think they can take you from me! Aren't you my love?_ and _Don't be like that! Yelling at your own Faunus brothers is something a_ Schnee _would do. You aren't like them, right?_

Once, he slapped her. Blake had been so shocked that it happened and that Adam didn't even say anything. She had tried to question him, to ask if he actually did something, but all she got was a laugh and a shake of his head. She went to bed next to the bull Faunus feeling her left cheek stinging.

Sex wasn't fun anymore, and it got to the point that Blake never wanted to have sex again. Adam's always got too rough so early on and never gave her time to adjust. When she thinks at night, cold and a throb between her legs, she never said no to him.

But she never said _yes_ either.

When she was seventeen, she had enough. She had to get out of the White Fang before she drives herself mad with figuring out if Adam actually hit her or not. So she separated the train cars.

Blake's been gone from the White Fang for months, and she should be okay. Right? Then why does the crackling in her chest scream to go back, to run to Adam and apologize and beg for him to take her back? That she never meant it?

Her sleep schedule has gotten even worse. Before, she'd be asleep after a painful night of stress relieving on Adam's side – around one in the morning. Now she just stays up all night, curled on her side and staring at the wall with heavy thoughts on her mind.

What if she went back and Adam didn't take her back? What if Ilia never forgives her for leaving without a goodbye? Would her parents be proud she got away or disappointed she let Adam break her? Are her parents… Do they hate her?

Oh, God, what if she screwed up by not staying in Menagerie? Adam's going to find her, and he'll _drag_ her back by her ears.

Blake just prays nobody hears her sobs in the middle of the night.

The bell rings, causing Blake to blink the sleep out of her eyes. She glances at the small clock on the wall. Yeah, time to go.

"Whoo! Class is over!" Yang laughs and startles Weiss.

"Did you even pay attention, Yang?" Weiss scoffs at the blonde.

"Of course I did, Ice Queen! It wouldn't be very _Weiss_ of me if I didn't," Yang chortles as she holds up her hand. Blake lazily lifts her own hand to smack it. "Heyo!"

That didn't impress Weiss in the slightest. "Oh, ha ha, laugh it up!"

"Ms. Rose, I'd like to speak with you for a moment,"

Blake has to strain to keep her ears from following Professor Goodwitch's voice down on the floor. She glances at Ruby and notices that she looks tired. Blake goes to say something but ultimately decides that it can wait until they get back to their dorm. Ruby will be fine.

But as they're leaving, other teams behind them, Blake onew something is wrong with their leader. Did she miss it?

———


	4. Yellow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters in RWBY. I don't even own RWBY.

Yellow. A very bright color that stands for a lot of things positively. Energy, joy, confidence. However, there's that back area that nobody tends to know about, that's overshadowed by the positivity of the color. Irrationality, anxiety, cowardice.

Yang is a lot, if not all, of the positive things that come with the color yellow. Many look up to her, and not because she's taller than most. She always has something funny to say to cheer up even the most sad of people.

But she never gets anything back. Not because people are mean, but because she doesn't want to get attached.

The last time she got attached to someone, she died when she was five. Then she found out that she had a different mother than Ruby. Questions immediately shot through her five year old mind.

Who was her mom? Why did she leave? Was it my fault? Did she at least _love me_ before she decided to leave?

From then on, Yang took care of Ruby when her dad was unavailable ( _Or so drunk that even her uncle has to drag him back home_ ). But it didn't help the constant state of panic she's in.

Doubts and suspicions run through her mind nonstop, as if whatever was in her brain was running a marathon. Will more people leave her? That question occupied more of her brain than anything.

Then she learned how to fight. Then _that_ was always on her mind, taking up every thought and shoving down her feelings. Fighting made Yang feel free from the stress that's been placed on her shoulders – her taking care of Ruby, dealing with school, two mothers – and she can't be more grateful for the activity.

Then other people began to leave.

First it was the Wrengers family, one of Yang's oldest friends and people she practically grew up with. They up and left Patch, and Yang hasn't heard from them since.

Then it was her uncle. He had important Hunter business to do and promised he'd come back for a visit next week. _But next week just keeps getting longer_.

Finally her oldest friend and the person who shattered her trust completely. Yang's still _so mad_ at her that she doesn't speak her name. That… That _bitch_ took Yang's feelings – the guilt over not being enough to save her mom from death, stress from handling the household, and romantic love for the friend – and threw it back in her face.

She laughed at her – the bitch _laughed_ at her – and called her unforgiving things. The walls didn't survive her wrath and neither did the ridiculously high up cabinets either.

So Yang, fifteen year old Yang, decided _What's the point?_ and shoved her feelings down. But they never stayed buried in the dirt. Old feelings resurfaced and Yang would become unreasonably angry with anything or anyone that she came in contact with.

Other than her family, Yang declared on that day, she would _never_ trust anyone again. She wouldn't get too close or try to form an attachment. Yang isn't sure she can handle somebody else leaving her.

Then she heard about Beacon while tinkering with… Ember Celica! ( _Yes, that's its name from now on!_ ) A place to become a Hunter or Huntress to protect the world from Grimm.

Yang thought it'd be perfect! Sure, she'd have to work in a _team_ , but it couldn't be as bad as it could at Signal right now.

_Oh, one of the teachers is on fire._

She might be as bad as Ruby when it comes to talking to people she hasn't met, but she covers it up with confidence! Don't let them see the _real you_ and everything should be fine.

Oh, great! Ruby joined Beacon two years early and is on the same team as her! Yang was excited to have someone she knows so she can lean on Ruby while Ruby leans on her.

But as classes at Beacon progress, Yang can't help but notice what her team doesn't. _God, do they all just_ not _sleep?_ Why the hell does Blake cry at night and Ruby always look as if someone stepped on her cookies and spilled over her milk? Weiss… is normal-ish, but she's been more snappish. Seriously, is Yang the _only one_ who figured this out?

 _She's not supposed to get involved!_ A few shocked members of a specific community shout, and Yang doesn't want to! But she _needs to_. Yang may be a hypocrite with this, but the team needs to trust each other! The band's going to break up! God, Yang, you sound like one of those magazines you read when you were twelve. _Will Two Directions together? Will Scarlet Six stay in the mix?_ Just back and forth with the nonsense.

So, when the bell rang, ending Professor Goodwitch's class, Yang had a plan. She'll fix her teammates, keep her distance with Weiss and Blake, and happily ever after! Nice, now everything is solved!

"Whoo! Class is over!" Yang whoops with a grin, and she sees Weiss glare at her. It doesn't stop the plan in motion in her brain.

"Did you even pay attention, Yang?" Weiss harumphs.

"Of course I did, Ice Queen! It wouldn't be very _Weiss_ of me if I didn't," She… shouldn't have done that, but everyone loves a good pun! Yang holds up her hand, which Blake slaps. "Heyo!"

Weiss actually cringes at the pun. "Oh, ha ha, laugh it up!"

"Ms. Rose, I'd like to speak with you for a moment,"

That there… That just messes up Yang's _entire_ plan for the evening!

Worry not! She'll just… wait.

So Yang follows Blake and Weiss to their dorm, poking fun at Weiss with ice puns and Blake with book puns. They don't appreciate her humor. Maybe her humor just isn't funny?

In the dorm, Yang waits at the desk while Weiss studies on her bed because… and she quotes _"Took the desk even though_ some _of us need it for studying!"_. And Blake sat on her bed, ears released and twitching more than usual, with a book in her hand.

All according to plan.

The door opens to reveal Ruby. She steps inside with a toothless smile and closes the door behind her.

"He-ll _ooo_!" Yang sings from the desk chair. Ruby physically jumps and turns to her, not having noticed her, from the center of the room.

Ruby's brows scrunch together with a tiny wrinkle of skin pushing together. Her mouth is parted slightly while her nose is scrunched. "What?"

"We all need to talk,"

Huh, deja vu. Almost as if she's had a conversation starting like this before.

———


	5. RWBY Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters in RWBY. I don't even own RWBY.

_We all?_ Although Ruby should've been prepared for Yang to pry her problems out of her, she can't help but wonder why _all_ of Team RWBY needs to talk.

"What d'you mean? Oh, are we going on an adventure?!" Ruby perks up and jumps with her fist in the air. "Banzai!"

"Ah buh-buh-buh-buh, no," Yang stands while Ruby physically deflates to her normal position. "What's wrong with you three? Looks like you guys haven't gotten any sleep since the first day at Beacon!"

Blake's ear flicks to show that she heard her partner, but she continues to read her book and ignore her. Weiss scoffs as her eyes trail over dozens of books and papers at the same time.

"It makes _sense_ , Yang, for hunters and huntresses to not get any sleep because they have to study," Weiss flips a piece of paper over. "Something you should be doing."

Yang huffs. "I'll get around to it! And a C average isn't _that_ bad," She reaches over without looking and grabs the retreating Ruby's arm. "We aren't done talking. None of us are!"

Ruby puts on a faux smile. "Yang, I've been sleeping fine. Are _you_ okay, though? You seem kinda… mad,"

"I'm not mad, I just don't want my team to pass out while fighting something,"

Weiss sighs and pushes her notes and books to the side so she can look at Yang with crossed arms. When she'd interrupt someone while they were studying or working, she was usually shunned until she proved not to be a bother. She's not _in_ Atlas, however, so she learned to make exceptions.

"What is it? Since you _obviously_ can't seem to leave people alone," Weiss snaps at the blonde.

Yang just crosses her arms with a stern look. "I know _you've_ been going to sleep at night, but all that work is gonna run you dry," Lilac eyes slide to Blake's comfortable reading self. "And don't think I can't hear you crying at night." Blake's eyes snap up. "And, Ruby, I thought you could tell me anything?"

Ruby flinches at Yang's look of hurt that spread across her face. She swallows down the self-hatred that flared in her so she can comfort her sister and get her to pay attention to her own health. Ruby doesn't need to be worried about herself.

"Yang, I _do_ tell you everything," A stabbing pang hit Ruby in the chest. It felt as if someone had taken Crescent Rose and shot her with her own scythe. "And I'm okay! Sometimes I just get so worked up that I can't sleep. You used to do the same, y'know."

A frustrated noise left Yang's mouth. "Of course I did the same! Only, for me, I got angry when I didn't _have_ to be. You don't get as angry as me,"

"Yang, if Ruby doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't have to," Blake softly tries to intervene. Her shoulders had started to tremble a minute ago, taking her controlled breaths with it.

Yang rounds on her, letting go of Ruby. "She _has_ to talk about it! I'm her sister, Blake, I'm supposed to protect her from whatever's bothering her,"

Weiss rolls her eyes. "Blake's right, Yang. She'll tell you on her own time,"

"On her own time?! When'll that be, huh? When she's passed out, surrounded by Grimm?"

Ruby lays a hand on Yang's arm, brows furrowed in worry. "What about _you_?"

"What about me?"

"You haven't been…" Blake struggles for a moment to find the word. " _okay_ in a while."

"Understatement of the year!" Weiss crosses her arms. Her icy eyes snap to Yang where she stands tensely. "You've been moody and even more aggressive than usual. You can't seem to work well with me or Blake without Ruby there for some reason! Why can't you trust us?"

Trust. How is she supposed to _trust_ when she can barely get close to people without fearing they'll leave her?!

"Ugh! This talk isn't about me!" A hint of red began to pool in place of lilac. The temperature of the room starts to climb slowly, yet the others don't notice.

"It's not?" Ruby moves out of the way when Yang walks to the door and locks it. Her mind can't focus on anything. She wants to sleep. "If you want to talk, Yang, we can listen—"

"No!" Yang finally snaps, whipping around. Her fist slams against the wood of the desk at her anger, which causes Weiss and Blake flinch at it. "See, this is what I mean!"

Ruby stands tall, the embodiment of calm and poise, but she's freaking out on the inside. Yang's going to say something she'll regret later, and Ruby will have to try and clean up her mess. It'll be a disaster on her emotions, but she'll keep them down.

She has to. She's the leader.

"All you do is whine and complain, Weiss, snapping at everything that comes in your way! And for what? Jaune's been honest about his feelings and, yeah, he could've used a different approach, but you didn't have to be _that_ hard on him!"

Weiss tilts her chin up with a scowl on her face. "What is your problem—"

"And _don't_ get me started on you, Blake!" Yang waves her arms in the air, not noticing the way Blake seems to shrink in on herself. The temperature rises. "Keeping that you're a Faunus is one thing, but the White Fang? What if they attacked and said something that you'd have to explain and we wouldn't believe you?"

Ruby sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. Yang's going too far. "Yang, that's enough," Her tone is hard, a no-questions-asked that her sister should know by now. Being a leader and all.

Yang rounds on her. "Yeah, it's enough to get my point across. None of you are acting like… like my team!"

"And how do you _actually_ know how we act?! You're too busy leaving us behind!" Weiss finally yells out of irritation. The temperature continues to rise.

"And what do you mean by _that_ , princess?"

"I _mean_ , you oaf, that you don't know how we act because you're too busy chasing every boy and girl in Beacon!"

"Oh, really, you think you know me?"

"Of course I do! You're just an oaf who wants attention! A _whore_!"

"Take. That. Back,"

"No, because it's true!"

Blake is covering her human ears while rocking back and forth, book long discarded by now. Her cat ears pinned back against her head to further block the intense telling just a few feet away.

A groan of frustration left Ruby's throat at the turn of events. _So much for a civil conversation she knew was coming._

"If I'm a whore, you're a selfish, entitled _bitch_!"

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Am not!"

"Shut up!" Ruby screams while stomping her foot. The temperature stops at a scorching heat that mixes with a chill just a few inches away.

Yang and Weiss snap their eyes to Ruby, who's trembling. Yang's eyes immediately lose their redness, and she goes over to comfort her sister. Before she can do so, Ruby holds her hand up. Yang stops.

"Don't. You wanna know how I feel, Yang?" Ruby slowly asks. Yang swallows down the rough lump in her throat and nods. She no longer cares about the whimpering coming from Blake's bed or the heavy breathing behind her. "If I tell you, you have to tell us what's wrong with you. Then they'll tell us what's wrong with them. Deal?"

"O-Of course!"

"Weiss, Blake?"

"I suppose it's only fair that I talk about my issues," Weiss crosses her arms and sits back down, out of breath from her yelling match with Yang.

Blake nods. "Yeah… Yeah, okay, s-sure. I don't mind,"

Ruby takes in a deep breath. "I don't feel… right. I never really have after I learned about mom,"

Yang's eyes soften even more as she takes a seat next to Weiss, leaving Ruby the only one standing. It's been going on longer than she thought.

"I-It… It's _my_ normal, I guess, to push people away because going out and being with people makes me tired," She replants herself to stand taller. "Not, like, uh, y'know, 'I'm gonna go to bed' tired, but 'I've been around people too long even though I've said hi to three people'."

"If it's been happening that long, why didn't you tell me? I would've spent more time with you," Yang speaks up with guilt in her voice. At that time she had just been in her third year and experimenting with things even though she knew she shouldn't have.

Ruby shakes her head with a small chuckle. "I wanted to let you in, Yang, I really did, but I didn't know how,"

Blake and Weiss glance at each other before turning back to Ruby. Weiss swallows down the guilt she feels for not being a good enough partner to check up on Ruby's feelings.

"People made fun of me, y'know," Ruby says offhandedly, like it didn't even matter. She picks at the skin under her fingernails anxiously. "I was the weapon nerd that everyone tried to befriend to 'fix me'. When that didn't work, they told me my feelings weren't real or that I was faking for attention. Feelings is what got me into this mess, but I can't feel them sometimes… like I'm numb.

"Sometimes I stand on the roof," Ruby had turned around by this point so she didn't have to see the heartbroken expression from Yang, the shocked and wide-eyed Weiss, or the surprisingly understanding Blake. "I don't do anything, but I think about things. Things that I shouldn't be thinking, but I can't find it in me to stop thinking them because I-I feel like a burden to our family—worthless, even."

"Ruby—"

"No, Weiss, I need to continue," Ruby snaps at her partner and turns around. She squeezes her eyes shut and sighs. "Sorry, it's been a habit lately."

"It's okay, Ruby, you can continue," Blake finally uncurled from her ball to sit like Yang and Weiss.

The scythe wielder nods. "Yeah, 'okay'. Nothing's _ever_ okay. Sometimes I feel like mom would've been alive if I hadn't been born, but I knew she would've died eventually. Is it… normal to feel like this?" She asks no one in particular. "To feel like you can't get out of bed, even to spend time with people you love?"

Yang is silent, staring down at the purple fabric tied to her leg. She looks up at her sister with tears in her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I think Uncle Qrow and dad were like that when mom died,"

"Huh," Ruby trudges over and plops down next to Blake on her bed. "Weiss?"

Weiss snaps out of her head with a small sound. "Yes, Ruby?"

"Wanna go next? It… It _does_ feel a little better,"

Weiss crosses her arms but stands to take Ruby's place standing up. She stands perfectly straight, shoulders back and head tilted up. Just perfect. Perfect. _When did my life have to revolve around perfect?_ Nonetheless, she remains standing straight, even if her head does tilt down a little.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I'm not messed up," Weiss states informally.

Yang crosses her arms. "C'mon, Ice… _Weiss_ , we all know something's up with you. Who knows, maybe all this will make us closer?"

Weiss nods with a small scowl on her face. "Fine. My family is perfectly normal. I was never abused in any way, but my father did yell about the Faunus," Her icy eyes look to Blake. "Your turn?"

Blake hums. "I don't think so,"

"What's there to tell? My mother is an alcoholic who can't stop drinking long enough to have a sober conversation, and my father is negligent. I never had it as bad as some; I was never harmed by either of them,"

"Weiss, sometimes it's not what people do, it's what they _don't_ do," Ruby furrows her brow. Has Weiss really had nobody to lean on during this time?

"Yes, yes. My parents are awful, but they were still nice. I was never hit, yelled at, or touched," Weiss doesn't notice when her posture loses its perfection and she's hunched over slightly with her teeth chewing off the skin on her bottom lip. "Sure, they _did_ leave me alone, but I handled that conversation before I came to Beacon.

"I yelled at my father," Weiss grimaces.

Yang nods slowly. "Okay. Okay, let's take a small, maybe three foot, step backwards. How did that make you feel?" She snorts. "Hah, I sound like a therapist."

"It made me feel… less important?"

"Care to elaborate?" Blake taps the pads of her fingers against her knees.

Weiss grunts. "I _mean_ , Blake, that it made me feel like I wasn't important enough to father or mother. Mother never really understood me or… or him, but I don't understand why I am so miserable," A sigh of contempt leaves her mouth as she releases her raw bottom lip from her teeth. "I just can't comprehend it, but their approval—or lack thereof—shouldn't be hurting me this badly. I… They weren't there for me when I needed it, and now I feel as if I'm not enough. Like I have to constantly prove myself or-or _something_!"

The white-haired teenager swallows and shuts her eyes tightly. This was a bad idea, but might as well go through with it. "Maybe father's coldness made me cold. To try and gain his approval, and I kept up the act when I really didn't have to," Weiss straightens up and clears her throat. "But enough about me! Blake, it's your turn."

Blake hesitantly stands and shuffles to stand where Weiss stood previously. Her ears swivel slowly at the ruffled noises of Weiss' ridiculous _combat skirt_ against the bedsheets. Her nails are already bitten off, so she hopes she doesn't do anything to make what's left of them bleed.

"Alright. Alright, so, uh, my life was pretty normal in Menagerie. I went to Faunus protests up until I was twelve in Amina, but my dad stepped down as leader of the White Fang," Blake winces when she hears Weiss' gasp and feels the glare of her teammate. "Then everything changed when the new leader rose up. Signs turned to guns and peace turned to violence. I ran away from home and to the White Fang because I believed I was helping the Faunus."

At Blake's silence, Ruby speaks up. "What happened next?"

Blake chuckles, no humor to it. "Adam happened. He was a nice guy at first. I met him at many protests in Anima, but then something happened to him when he went to Atlas to do something. He came back and wore a Grimm mask," Her amber eyes look to no-one, nothing as she speaks. "I still don't know what's under it.

"So," Blake suddenly looks at Yang. "Adam kind of became my partner in crime. He was the handsome mentor and I was the naive student who had no idea what she got herself into. I… He was my partner, mentor, boyfriend, and I loved him, I think."

"You think?" Yang mutters, staring at her lap. "Oh, don't tell me this is going where I think it is."

"What?"

"Let her continue," Weiss interrupts a possible sibling explanation.

Blake sighs. "Yes, it's going where you think it is, Yang. I fell for him and he fell for me, and all was well. Until he started saying and doing things that I didn't like. Adam said I made him jealous a lot when I talked to the other Faunus, so I stopped talking to people in general. He would grab me tight often and so hard that he left bruises. I was never good enough for him," Blake stops talking to stare absentmindedly at a random spot in her bookshelf.

"Blake?"

"I'm pretty sure he hit me a few times," The spot between black eyebrows puffs up as they scrunch together. "I always thought I imagined it, but I think he did."

Ruby nods absently. Have they all really gone through so much at such young ages? No-one should have to do that, not even the worst of people or Faunus.

"We, uh…" Blake eyes Ruby. "did _it_ , if you know what I mean. It happened whenever he was stressed and it hurt. I don't think I actually said yes at all."

"Blake, you can stop now," Yang tries to intervene, but the cat Faunus continues on.

"No, I have to get it out. I feel so _guilty_. He hurt me, but I cry for him to take me back. I want to apologize to him for _him_ hitting me; how messed up does that make me?"

Nobody says a thing because the three of them don't know what it's like to have that kind of stress on your shoulders.

Blake sighs, drained of her passion and fight for now. "Yang," She pats the blonde on the shoulder as they pass each other.

Yang crosses her arms and rocks back and forth on her feet. Her brows furrow as she works up the nerve to say whatever is bothering her.

"I'm… scared," She finally admits after years of keeping that very emotion down. "People always leave, and I can't just… just _get over it_. I was five when mom—Summer—died, and I found out something that hurt me." Yang really doesn't want to tell the story of her search for her own mother. Ruby doesn't even know about her, and she's not ready to spill that detail.

"What'd you find out?" Ruby asks.

Yang chuckles. "I'll tell you all when I'm ready,"

"Continue, then," Weiss gently urges Yang to get on with her story. Gently, it's strange for her.

"Uh, right. I dunno what it is, but I don't take well to people leaving me. I can't exactly _trust_ anyone when they show up in my life," Yang looks to Weiss then to Blake with a dulled lilac color in her eyes. "'Cause if I trust them, then I get attached. If I get attached, I get these… these _feelings_ of love and happiness.

"Then they leave," The scowl on Yang's face deepens as she looks away to control the rising heat of anger inside of her. "People always leave, and I can't handle it. I can't trust anyone because I'm afraid that they'll leave me and then it'll be my fault! Because _I_ wasn't good enough for them.

"A-And I'll try to please them and be there for them even if I know it's going nowhere," Yang bites out. A breath releases from Yang's mouth in frustration. "That's why I can't keep a relationship with anybody unless I'm sure they like me. They either like me and stay, or don't and leave."

Weiss bites her raw lip. "I apologize for calling you a whore, Yang,"

"I'm sorry for calling you a selfish and entitled bitch," The blonde huffs out a laugh as she uncrosses her arms. A huge grin breaks across her face. "I think we all need a group hug! C'mon, everybody, it's a Yang Hug!"

Yang dives and tackles Ruby, the closest to her, and squeezes her tightly. Ruby makes a choking noise and scrambles to release her face from Yang's shoulder.

"Agh! Yang, I need to breathe!"

"What? But this is a Yang Hug!"

Weiss' nose scrunches. "Do Yang Hugs not include breathing?"

"I think so," Blake's brow quirks upward.

Yang lets go of her sister and places a hand to her chest. "It's not my fault I give the best hugs! You're all just weak,"

Blake locks eyes with Ruby and gives her a smirk. Ruby grins back. "I think Yang needs a Newspaper Hug, then,"

"Please tell me we're not…" Weiss mutters as she stands up.

Blake stands and tackles her partner to the ground, Ruby landing on the Faunus' back with a whoop of "Geronimo!". Yang grunts from the bottom of the pile, Blake groans at the weight on her back, and Ruby giggles. Weiss watches with pursed lips.

"Barbarians. All of you are barbarians," She shakes her head fondly.

Ruby lifts her head. "Weiss! Don't be a party pooper, come join the pile!"

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Were the most likely words said into Yang's chest. Yang shrugs when Weiss looks at her for transition.

Weiss smiles. "I suppose if this is a team activity," She walks over and sits on Ruby's back, not adding much weight onto the pile.

Yang hums. "This pile is nice and all, but we're all gonna have a crying session later,"

Blake moves her head so her ear is resting on Yang's chest. "Sounds good," She sighs in content.

Ruby lifts her head again. "Did I land sideways on you, Blake?"

"I thought it was obvious since you two didn't knock heads," Weiss crosses one leg over the other and pulls out her scroll. "I hope you're comfortable because I'm not moving."

"Like there's much to move,"

"Hey!"

"No, no, no. We," Yang lifts her half-pinned arm to point a finger to the ceiling, as if making a point. "are a therapy cuddle pile. No fighting."

Weiss nods. "No fighting"

"Agreed," Blake chimes.

"I think I feel those therapy tears,"

"I think we all do, sis,"

———

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, this took a bit. Sorry about that, I just wanted to do some more research and stuff and got sidetracked. Anyway, this series is over, so I'll probably post something new soon.

**Author's Note:**

> In no way do I own RWBY.
> 
> Many of you may not see these four characters like this. This is my own thoughts on how they feel.


End file.
